1974
Year 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. It was also the 1974th year of the Common Era, the 974th year of the 2nd millennium, the 74th year of the 20th century, and the 5th year of the 1970s. Events January * January 26 – Bülent Ecevit, of CHP forms the new government of Turkey (37th government, partner MSP ) February * February 1 ** Fire breaks out in the Joelma Building in São Paulo, Brazil; 177 die, 293 are injured, 11 die later of their injuries. ** Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, was declared as a Federal Territory. * February 8 – After a record 84 days in orbit, the crew of Skylab 4 returns to Earth. * February 17 – A soccer stampede occurs in Cairo, killing 49. March * March 3 – Turkish Airlines Flight 981 travelling from Paris to London crashes in a woods near Paris, killing all 346 aboard. * March 4 ** People magazine's first issue released. Mia Farrow is on the cover. ** Following a hung parliament in the UK general election, Conservative prime minister Edward Heath resigns and is succeeded by Labour's Harold Wilson, who previously led the country from 1964 to 1970. * March 8 – Charles de Gaulle Airport opens in Paris, France. * March 10 – A Japanese World War II soldier, Second Lieutenant Hiroo Onoda, surrenders in the Philippines. * March 18 – End of Oil embargo crisis: Most OPEC nations end a 5-month oil embargo against the United States, Europe and Japan. * March 29 – The Terracotta Army of Qin Shi Huang is discovered at Xi'an, China.http://history1900s.about.com/od/1970s/qt/terracottaarmy.htm April * April 3-4 – An enormous outbreak of tornadoes strikes the central parts of the United States, killing around 319 people. Known as the "Super Outbreak", the event was the largest and deadliest outbreak of tornadoes for almost 40 years until an even larger outbreak surpassed it in 2011. * April 4 – Hank Aaron ties Babe Ruth for the all-time home run record with his 714th at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati. * April 6 ** Swedish pop group ABBA win the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest with Waterloo. ** California Jam is held at the Ontario Motor Speedway in Ontario, California, attracting 250,000 fans. * April 8 – Hank Aaron became the all-time MLB home run leader with his 715th at Atlanta in front of a national television audience. * April 11 – The Kiryat Shmona massacre took place in Israel. * April 24 – Stephen King publishes Carrie, his first novel under his own name. * April 25 – Carnation Revolution: A coup in Portugal restores democracy. May * May 4 ** An all-female Japanese team summits Manaslu in Nepal, becoming the first women to climb an 8,000 metre peak. ** The Expo '74 World's Fair opens in Spokane, Washington. * May 17 – Dublin and Monaghan bombings: The Protestant terrorist group, the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF), explode numerous bombs in Dublin and Monaghan, in the Republic Of Ireland. The attacks kill 33 civilians and wound almost 300, which is the highest number of casualties in any single day during "The Troubles". * May 18 ** Nuclear test: Under Project Smiling Buddha, India successfully detonates its first nuclear weapon, becoming the 6th nation to do so. ** The Warsaw radio mast is completed, the second tallest structure ever built (it collapses on August 8, 1991). * May 30 – NASA's ATS-6 satellite is launched. June * June 13 – The 1974 FIFA World Cup begins in West Germany. * June 26 – The Universal Product Code is scanned for the first time, to sell a package of Wrigley's chewing gum at the Marsh Supermarket in Troy, Ohio. July * July 7 – West Germany beats the Netherlands 2–1 to win the 1974 FIFA World Cup. * July 20 – Turkish invasion of Cyprus. August * August 4 – A bomb explodes in an Italicus Express train between Italy and West Germany, killing 12 and wounding 48. Italian neo-fascist terrorists take responsibility. * August 8 – Watergate scandal: U.S. President Richard Nixon announces his resignation (effective August 9). * August 9 – Vice President Gerald Rudolph Ford succeeds Richard Milhous Nixon as the 38th President of the United States of America. * August 14 – Turkey invades for the second time in Cyprus, occupying 37% of the island's territory. * August 30 – An express train bound for Germany from Belgrade derails in Zagreb, Yugoslavia (now Croatia), killing more than 150 passengers. September * September 8 – TWA Flight 841 crashes into the Ionian Sea 18 minutes after take off from Athens, after a bomb explodes in the cargo hold, and kills 88 people. * September 12 – Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia is deposed by the Derg. * September 13 – Japanese Red Army members seize the French Embassy in The Hague, Netherlands. * September 23 – Ceefax (one of the first public service information systems) is started by the BBC. October * October 11 – The UK Labour government of Harold Wilson wins the second general election of the year, forming a three-seat majority. Wilson, who has led the party for a total of 11 years, has now won four of the five general elections he has contested. * October 30 – The Rumble in the Jungle takes place in Kinshasa, Zaire, where Muhammad Ali knocks out George Foreman in 8 rounds to regain the Heavyweight title, which had been stripped from him 7 years earlier. November * November 1 – World Tourism Organization (WTO or WToO) established. * November 16 – The Arecibo radio telescope sends an interstellar radio message towards the M13 Great Globular Cluster. The message will reach its destination around the year 27,000. * November 21 – In Birmingham, England, 2 pubs are bombed, killing 21 people (the Birmingham Six are later sentenced to life in prison for this). * November 22 – The United Nations General Assembly grants the Palestine Liberation Organization observer status. * November 24 – A skeleton from the hominid species Australopithecus afarensis is discovered and named Lucy. December * December 1 – A Boeing 727 carrying TWA Flight 514 crashes 25 miles (40 km) northwest of Dulles International Airport during bad weather, killing all 92 people on board. * December 9 – The Paris summit, reuniting the European communities' heads of state and government, commences. * December 17 – WIPO becomes a specialized agency of the United Nations. * December 24–December 25 – Darwin, Australia is almost completely destroyed by Cyclone Tracy. * December 30 – Japanese soldier Teruo Nakamura surrenders on the Indonesian island of Morota, 34 years after beginning service in World War II Date unknown * Rubik's Cube puzzle invented by Hungarian architecture professor Ernő Rubik. Births January ]] * January 3 – Alessandro Petacchi, Italian professional road cyclist * January 6 – Rosa Elena Huerta de la Sota Gaspar de Alba, Mexican Graphic designer * January 10 – Hrithik Roshan, Bollywood actor * January 12 ** Tor Arne Hetland, Norwegian cross-country skiier ** Melanie Chisholm, English singer-songwriter (Spice Girls) * January 16 – Kate Moss, English model * January 17 – Danny Bhoy, Scottish stand-up comedian * January 18 – Gustavo Kupinski, Argentine guitarist (d. 2011) * January 23 – Tiffani Thiessen, American actress * January 24 – Ed Helms, American actor * January 27 – Ole Einar Bjørndalen, Norwegian biathlete * January 28 – Kari Traa, Norwegian freestyle skier * January 29 – Michael Andersen, Danish basketball player * January 30 – Christian Bale, British actor February ]] * February 7 ** Steve Nash, Canadian basketball player ** Cheryl Cosim, Filipina journalist, news anchor and TV host ** Jun Seba, also known as Nujabes, Japanese hip-hop producer (d. 2010) ** J Dilla, also known as Jay-Dee, African-American hip-hop producer (d. 2006) * February 8 ** Seth Green, American actor ** Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo, French musician and record producer (Daft Punk) * February 10 – Ivri Lider, Israeli singer * February 13 – Robbie Williams, English rock singer (Take That) * February 14 – Philippe Léonard, Belgian footballer * February 15 ** Tomi Putaansuu, Finnish rock singer (Lordi) ** Alexander Wurz, Austrian racing driver * February 17 – Jerry O'Connell, American Actor * February 22 – James Blunt, English singer * February 24 – Chad Hugo, American rock musician and producer (N*E*R*D) * February 26 – Sebastien Loeb, French rally driver * February 27 – Hiroyasu Shimizu, Japanese speed skater March ]] * March 1 – Mark-Paul Gosselaar, American actor * March 4 ** Karol Kučera, Slovakian tennis player ** Ariel Ortega, Argentine football player * March 5 ** Jens Jeremies, German footballer ** Matt Lucas, British comedian ** Eva Mendes, American actress * March 6 – Anthony Carelli, Canadian professional wrestler * March 7 – Jenna Fischer, American actress * March 15 – Percy Montgomery, South African rugby union player * March 17 – Paolo Bediones, Filipino commercial model, television host, journalist, newscaster, and radio announcer * March 20 – Carsten Ramelow, German footballer * March 22 – Marcus Camby, American basketball player * March 24 – Alyson Hannigan, American actress * March 25 – Lark Voorhies, American actress and singer * March 28 – Daisuke Kishio, Japanese voice actor * March 29 – Miguel Gómez, Colombian photographer April ]] * April 2 – Håkan Hellström, Swedish musician * April 9 – Jenna Jameson, American pornographic actress * April 11 – Tricia Helfer, Canadian actress and model * April 12 – Marley Shelton, American actress * April 15 ** Danny Pino, Cuban American actor ** Tim Thomas, American ice hockey goaltender * April 17 ** Victoria Beckham, English singer (Spice Girls) ** Mikael Åkerfeldt, Swedish musician * April 18 – Edgar Wright, English film director * April 20 – Tina Cousins, English singer * April 21 – Faust, Norwegian drummer * April 22 – Shavo Odadjian, Armenian-born rock bassist (System of a Down) * April 23 – Barry Waston, American actor * April 28 – Penélope Cruz, Spanish actress May ]] * May 7 – Breckin Meyer, American actor * May 16 ** Laura Pausini, Italian singer ** Adam Richman, American actor and television personality * May 17 – Andrea Corr, Irish singer * May 23 – Jewel, American singer * May 26 – Lars Frölander, Swedish swimmer * May 28 – Mikael Stanne, Swedish singer * May 30 ** Big L, American rapper (d. 1999) ** Cee Lo Green, American singer June ]] * June 1 – Alanis Morissette, Canadian singer * June 2 – Gata Kamsky, American chess player * June 7 ** Mahesh Bhupathi, Indian tennis player ** Bear Grylls, British survivalist * June 9 – Samoth, Norwegian musician * June 13 ** Steve-O, American actor ** Takahiro Sakurai, Japanese voice actor * June 22 – Donald Faison, American actor * June 25 – Karisma Kapoor, Indian actress * June 26 – **Derek Jeter, American baseball player **Jason Craig, American artist July ]] * July 1 – Jefferson Pérez, Ecuadorean race walker * July 2 – Rocky Gray, American musician * July 8 – Dragoslav Jevrić, Montenegrin footballer * July 12 ** Gregory Helms, American professional wrestler ** Sharon den Adel, Dutch singer * July 14 – David Mitchell, British comedian and actor * July 21 – Terry Coldwell, English singer (East 17) * July 22 – Franka Potente, German actress * July 23 ** Kathryn Hahn, American actress ** Maurice Greene, American athlete ** Rik Verbrugghe, Belgian professional road racing cyclist ** Stephanie March, American actress * July 26 – Daniel Negreanu, Canadian poker player * July 29 – Josh Radnor, American actor * July 30 – Hilary Swank, American actress * July 31 – Emilia Fox, English actress August ]] ]] * August 8 – Brian Harvey, English singer (East 17) * August 9 – Derek Fisher, American basketball player * August 12 – Karl Stefanovic, Australian TV host * August 13 – Niklas Sundin, Swedish musician * August 14 – Christopher Gorham, American actor * August 15 – Natasha Henstridge, Canadian actress and model * August 16 ** Krisztina Egerszegi, Hungarian Olympic champion swimmer ** Didier Cuche, Swiss alpine skier * August 20 ** Misha Collins, American actor ** Amy Adams, American actress ** Maxim Vengerov, Russian violinist * August 22 **Jenna Leigh Green, American actress and singer **Lee Sheppard, Australian cartoonist * August 23 – Ray Park, Scottish actor, martial artist * August 28 – Carsten Jancker, German soccer player September * September 4 – Carmit Bachar, American singer * September 6 ** Tim Henman, English tennis player ** Nina Persson, Swedish singer * September 10 ** Mirko Filipović, Croatian kickboxer and mixed martial arts fighter ** Ryan Phillippe, American actor ** Ben Wallace, American basketball player * September 12 – Jennifer Nettles, American country music artist (Sugarland) * September 14 – Hicham El Guerrouj, Moroccan athlete * September 17 – Rasheed Wallace, American basketball player * September 18 ** Sol Campbell, English footballer ** Xzibit, American rapper * September 19 ** Jimmy Fallon, American actor and comedian (Saturday Night Live) ** Victoria Silvstedt, Swedish model * September 23 – Matt Hardy, American professional wrestler * September 26 – Gary Hall, Jr., American swimmer October ]] ]] * October 1 – Keith Duffy, Irish singer (Boyzone) * October 3 – Marianne Timmer, Dutch speed skater * October 8 – Koji Murofushi, Japanese hammer thrower * October 10 ** Dale Earnhardt, Jr., American race car driver ** Chris Pronger, Canadian hockey player * October 11 – Jason Arnott, Canadian hockey player * October 16 – Paul Kariya, Canadian hockey player * October 21 – Lera Auerbach, Russian composer & pianist * October 23 – Sander Westerveld, Dutch soccer player * October 28 – Joaquin Phoenix, American actor * October 31 – Natasja Saad, Afro Danish rapper & reggae singer (d. 2007) November ]] * November 2 – Nelly, American rapper * November 4 ** Cedric Bixler-Zavala, Mexican-American singer/lyricist ** Louise Nurding, English singer and former member of (Eternal) * November 5 ** Ryan Adams, American singer and songwriter ** Jerry Stackhouse, American basketball player * November 8 ** Masashi Kishimoto, Japanese manga author ** Penelope Heyns, South African swimmer ** Matthew Rhys, Welsh actor * November 9 – Alessandro Del Piero, Italian football player * November 11 – Leonardo DiCaprio, American actor * November 15 – Chad Kroeger, Canadian singer * November 16 – Paul Scholes, English football player * November 18 – Petter Solberg, Norwegian rally driver * November 27 – Zsófia Polgár, Hungarian-born chess player * November 29 – Ferenc Merkli, Hungarian Slovene priest, writer, translator * November 30 – Wallace Chung, Hong Kong actor and singer December ]] * December 1 – Costinha, Portuguese footballer * December 4 – Tadahito Iguchi, Japanese baseball player * December 7 – Nicole Appleton, Canadian singer (All Saints) * December 10 – Meg White, American rock drummer (The White Stripes) * December 11 ** Rey Mysterio, American wrestler ** Gete Wami, Ethiopian long-distance runner * December 13 – Nicholas McCarthy, English guitarist * December 17 – Giovanni Ribisi, American Actor (Gone in 60 Seconds) * December 18 – Kari Byron, American artist and television personality * December 24 ** Ryan Seacrest, American television personality ** Marcelo Salas, Chilean footballer * December 27 – Fumiko Orikasa, Japanese voice actress and singer * December 29 – Mekhi Phifer, American actor Date unknown * James Singer, American writer Deaths January * January 15 – Harold D. Cooley U.S. House of Representatives * January 27 – Georgios Grivas, Greek-Cypriot colonel (b. 1898) * January 31 ** Samuel Goldwyn, Polish-born American film studio executive (b. 1879) ** Glenn Morris, American Olympic decathlete and actor (b. 1912) February * February 2 – Imre Lakatos, Hungarian philosopher (b. 1922) * February 4 – Satyendra Nath Bose, Indian mathematician and physicist (b. 1894) * February 15 – Kurt Atterberg, Swedish composer (b. 1887) * February 22 – Samuel Byck, American airplane hijacker and murderer (b. 1930) March * March 4 – Adolph Gottlieb, American abstract expressionist painter (b. 1903) * March 9 – Earl Wilbur Sutherland Jr., American physiologist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1915) * March 17 – Louis Kahn, Estonian architect (b. 1901) * March 22 – Peter Revson, American race car driver (b. 1939) * March 29 – Joe Stecher, professional wrestler (b. 1893) April * April 2 – Georges Pompidou, President of France (b. 1911) * April 18 ** Betty Compson, American actress (b. 1897) ** Marcel Pagnol, French novelist (b. 1895) * April 19 – Ayub Khan, President of Pakistan (b. 1907) * April 24 ** Bud Abbott, American actor (Abbott and Costello) (b. 1895) ** Franz Jonas, Austrian president (b. 1899) * April 30 – Agnes Moorehead, American actress (b. 1900) May * May 24 – Duke Ellington, American jazz pianist and bandleader (b. 1899) * May 25 ** Donald Crisp, English actor (b. 1882) ** Arturo Jauretche, Argentine writer, politician, and philosopher (b. 1901) June * June 9 – Miguel Ángel Asturias, Guatemalan writer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1890) * June 10 – Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, Governor-General of Australia (b. 1900) * June 18 – Georgy Zhukov, Soviet general (World War II) (b. 1896) * June 22 – Darius Milhaud, French composer (b. 1892) July * July 1 – Juan Domingo Perón, President of Argentina (b. 1895) * July 4 – Georgette Heyer, British writer (b. 1902) * July 9 – Earl Warren, Governor of California and Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court (b. 1891) * July 11 – Pär Lagerkvist, Swedish writer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1891) * July 13 – Patrick Blackett, English physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1897) * July 24 – James Chadwick, English physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1891) * July 29 ** Cass Elliott, American vocalist (b. 1941) ** Erich Kästner, German author (b. 1899) August * August 8 – Baldur von Schirach, Nazi German Hitler Youth leader (b. 1907) * August 26 – Charles Lindbergh, American aviator (Spirit of St. Louis) (b. 1902) * August 27 – Otto Strasser, Nazi German politician (b. 1897) September * September 3 – Harry Partch, American composer (b. 1901) * September 4 ** Creighton Williams Abrams, American general (b. 1914) ** Marcel Achard, French playwright and scriptwriter (b. 1899) * September 21 – Walter Brennan, American actor (b. 1894) October * October 4 – Anne Sexton, American poet and writer (b. 1928) * October 9 – Oskar Schindler, Sudetgerman businessman (b. 1908) * October 13 – Ed Sullivan, American television host (b. 1901) * October 24 – David Oistrakh, Ukrainian violinist (b. 1908) November * November 7 – Eric Linklater, British author (b. 1899) * November 13 – Vittorio De Sica, Italian film director (b. 1901) * November 17 – Erskine Hamilton Childers, 4th President of Ireland (b. 1905) * November 21 – Frank Martin, Swiss composer (b. 1890) * November 23 ** Manuel dos Reis Machado, Brazilian martial arts Master (b. 1899) ** Cornelius Ryan, Irish-American writer (b. 1920) * November 25 ** Nick Drake, British musician (b. 1948) ** U Thant, Burmese diplomat and Secretary-General of the United Nations (b. 1909) * November 29 ** James J. Braddock, American boxer (b. 1905) ** Peng Dehuai, Chinese leader (b. 1898) December * December 2 – Max Weber, Swiss Federal Councilor (b. 1897) * December 5 – Pietro Germi, Italian film director (b. 1914) * December 14 – Walter Lippmann, American writer and journalist (b. 1889) * December 15 – Anatole Litvak, Ukrainian-born film director (b. 1902) * December 20 – André Jolivet, French composer (b. 1905) * December 24 – Sentarō Ōmori, Japanese admiral (b. 1892) * December 26 – Jack Benny, American comedian (b. 1894) * December 27 ** Vladimir Fock, Soviet physicist (b. 1898) ** Ned Maddrell, last surviving native speaker of the Manx language (b. 1877) Nobel Prizes * Physics – Sir Martin Ryle, Antony Hewish * Chemistry – Paul J. Flory * Medicine – Albert Claude, Christian de Duve, George E. Palade * Literature – Eyvind Johnson, Harry Martinson * Peace – Séan MacBride, Eisaku Sato * Economics – Gunnar Myrdal, Friedrich von Hayek References Category:1974